“Name.”
“Jiang Yan.”
“Age.”
“25 years old.”
“What is your relationship with the suspect, Yu Xiu?”
“Partner, legally married… now divorced.”
“Do you know the people in these photos?”
“I don’t.”
“According to our investigation, your relationship with Yu Xiu has always been stable, with no sign of conflict or breakdown. So why did you two suddenly get divorced?”
“He brought it up.”
“Why?”
“He thought I didn’t love him.”
Clang!
A middle-aged man in his forties slammed his enamel mug heavily on the interrogation room table.
“Stop talking nonsense.”
He stood up impatiently, his slightly bulging belly shaking as the keychain at his waist clinked. With a scowl, he glared at Jiang Yan.
“After you and Yu Xiu announced your divorce, Yu Xiu disappeared. Soon after, the first victim was found brutally murdered at home. The cause of death and dismemberment methods match perfectly with the specimens found in your house.”
“You and your family pretended to look for him. Were you deliberately covering for him?”
“You’d better confess everything you know. Harboring a criminal and concealing evidence is a crime.”
Jiang Yan sat quietly in the chair. The white light above made his complexion look even paler. His black hair lay neatly against his forehead, and his blue eyes seemed slightly wet, giving him a fragile, pitiful look.
“I don’t know.”
His face showed little expression.
He truly didn’t know anything. Not about Yu Xiu, and not even about himself right now.
“Don’t know?”
The middle-aged man gave a sharp laugh and slammed the table again.
“Then why did you lie and tell everyone you and Yu Xiu were divorced?”
“We really did div—”
Before Jiang Yan could finish, a younger officer, about his age and with a calm, refined look, pushed a document across the table.
“According to our investigation, you and Yu Xiu never officially dissolved your marriage.”
When Jiang Yan saw the words “legal marriage” on the document, his eyes widened. His calm expression began to crack.
“This can’t be…” Jiang Yan stared at the paper in disbelief.
“We really went to the Civil Affairs Bureau…”
“The Civil Affairs Bureau does have a record of your registration,” the young officer said evenly.
“But according to their records, you only completed a divorce intention registration. You never went through the formal divorce procedure.”
“How is that possible? At that time, there wasn’t even a cooling-off period. How could it be incomplete?” Jiang Yan muttered in confusion.
That day, he could hardly remember what he felt. He was indifferent.
Indifferent as he signed the papers. Indifferent as he followed Yu Xiu to the bureau. He even fell asleep in the car, and Yu Xiu had carried him out.
Afterward, he left everything about the divorce to Yu Xiu, just like when they got married.
Later, Yu Xiu gave him a divorce certificate, told him they were divorced, and moved out. After that, he disappeared completely.
It took Jiang Yan a long time to realize that Yu Xiu had truly left.
How could they not have been divorced?
Jiang Yan stared at the document, his eyes trembling.
What was Yu Xiu playing at?
Sensing his emotions, the Yu Xiu resting within Jiang Yan’s abdomen carefully extended a tendril upward, patting his back gently as if to comfort him.
The middle-aged officer suddenly slammed the table again, breaking Jiang Yan’s thoughts.
“Tell the truth. Did you know about Yu Xiu’s murder plans and cover for him?”
“No.”
“You—”
“Uncle Li.”
Before the older man could continue, the young officer interrupted.
“Jiang Yan is not a suspect. The case has hit a dead end, and that’s on us,” he said calmly.
“I know you’re tired. Please rest and let Xiao Mei come in.”
The older man grunted angrily, grabbed his mug, and left with his jingling keys. The door closed behind him with a loud bang.
Soon, a female officer came in holding a notebook. She was gentle and kind, told Jiang Yan not to be nervous, and poured him a cup of warm water.
Jiang Yan took the cup and thanked her softly. “May I ask… what exactly did my husband do? You said he’s suspected of murder. Who did he kill?”
Husband.
This was the first time since the “divorce” that Jiang Yan had called Yu Xiu that. The tendril coiled around his back paused, then rubbed against him gently, pleased with the word.
Jiang Yan, however, was expressionless.
He only wanted to know why their divorce hadn’t gone through and what Yu Xiu had done.
Murder?
From what he remembered, Yu Xiu never had conflicts with anyone.
That man’s social circle was tiny, smaller even than Jiang Yan’s and aside from Jiang Yan, he had no one.
Who could he have killed?
The female officer, Xiao Mei, patted his shoulder comfortingly. The male officer then pushed the same photos toward him again and said,
“Recently, several murder and dismemberment cases occurred in this city. Based on the evidence, they seem to be done by the same person.”
Jiang Yan’s pupils shrank.
He looked at the photos: two women and one man, of different ages, all with ordinary appearances.
He was certain he had never seen them before.
The officer continued,
“As for whether the killer is your husband, we don’t have solid proof yet. But according to other clues and the organ specimens we found in your house, the cut marks are identical.”
He pushed several photos of dismembered limbs toward Jiang Yan.
The female officer hesitated. “Captain…”
The man raised his hand to stop her and went on,
“You shouldn’t be afraid of these. After all, there were many similar specimens in your house.”
Jiang Yan wasn’t afraid.
He only frowned slightly at the bloody photos.
He frowned because the incision style really did look like Yu Xiu’s.
That man always had antisocial tendencies. Could it be…
As if sensing Jiang Yan’s thoughts, the tendril wrapped around his waist shook sharply against his back.
Jiang Yan exhaled quietly.
Right. That man disappeared after entering the game world. He was now in a slime form. There was no way he could be killing people in reality.
“Are you sure you don’t know these people?” the officer asked, studying Jiang Yan’s expression.
“I’m sure.”
The officer aligned one of the dismembered hand photos with a picture of a young woman and slid it toward him.
“This is the first victim, Du Zheli.”
“Twenty-five years old, unmarried, nurse at the City First People’s Hospital. Found dead in her home last December.”
“The scene was extremely gruesome. Her body was placed on the bed, her organs removed, her abdominal cavity filled with roses. Her right hand and foot were neatly severed, cleaned, and placed on plates at the dining table like sashimi.”
Jiang Yan frowned slightly in discomfort. He felt the officer shouldn’t use such language about a victim.
But the officer continued calmly.
“When I arrived, the whole place smelled of cooked meat. The missing organs were found in a pressure cooker in the kitchen.”
“Later, we found that the victim was your elementary school classmate.”
Jiang Yan frowned again.
The female officer added, “And according to your elementary school teacher, you and she had a conflict in fourth grade.”
“She accused you of stealing her pet hamster, and you kicked her.”
“I don’t remember,” Jiang Yan said softly.
He really didn’t.
He couldn’t even remember his elementary school teacher’s name.
He looked up. “Can you remember a small fight between two students from over ten years ago? About a stolen pen?”
Would a teacher really remember that?
“A responsible teacher remembers every student,” the male officer replied.
Then he placed the other photos one by one, aligning the victims’ faces with dismembered body parts.
“The other victims are the same. Each one has some connection to you or your parents.”
“I…”
“You don’t remember. I understand.”
Before Jiang Yan could finish, the officer interrupted again.
“I don’t think you’re lying, but you should know this. The first victim, Du Zheli, died shortly after your parents reported Yu Xiu missing. It’s hard not to suspect that your family filed the report to cover for him.”
“Also, every body at the scene was filled with roses. It looks like…”
“…a cruel form of courtship.”
The officer fell silent, watching Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan lowered his head, his pale neck fragile under the light.
“I’m sorry. I really don’t know anything.”
The female officer, moved with pity, said gently,
“We’re not accusing you or your family. You’re not a suspect. But regarding your husband, you should be prepared. If you have no other clues, you may go home now.”
Jiang Yan raised his head to look at the officer.
The man sighed and nodded.
Both of them stood up. The officer extended his hand.
“Thank you for your cooperation. If you learn anything about your husband, please contact us immediately.”
Jiang Yan shook his hand. “I will.”
The officer took a piece of paper, wrote down a phone number, and handed it to him.
“This is my personal number. Call me directly if you need anything.”
Jiang Yan nodded. “Thank you. May I ask your name?”
“The surname is Wen,” the man said.
“Wen Shu.”
—
When Jiang Yan left the interrogation room, the middle-aged officer was lounging in his chair in the station lobby, sipping tea.
Jian Hou sat anxiously on a nearby bench, glancing repeatedly toward the interrogation room. He kept lowering his head to send messages on his phone. The moment he saw Jiang Yan come out, he quickly stood up and rushed over.
“Yan Yan!”
He looked Jiang Yan up and down in worry.
“Are you alright? What’s going on? How did Yu Xiu become a murder suspect?”
Jiang Yan tugged lightly on his sleeve. “Let’s talk later.”
Jian Hou glanced at the two officers who had followed behind them. The male officer gave him a polite, reassuring smile.
Jiang Yan didn’t say anything more. His mind was a mess. He simply let Jian Hou pull him out of the police station.
But as soon as they stepped outside, a crowd suddenly surged forward like a wave.
“That’s him! The murderer’s wife!”
Before Jiang Yan could even react, dozens of cameras and microphones were shoved in his face. The blinding flashes made it almost impossible for him to keep his eyes open. The constant clicks of cameras mixed with shouted questions and insults.
“Are you Mr. Jiang Yan? Did you know your husband Yu Xiu was involved in a serial murder and dismemberment case?”
“We heard he had a hobby of collecting human remains. Why did you choose to marry someone like that?”
“After your family reported him missing, the first victim appeared. Were you really unaware, or were you helping to cover for him?”
“Blood for blood! Murder must be paid for with life!”
“Give my daughter back! Give my daughter back!”
"....."
The entrance of the police station was instantly packed.
Jiang Yan and Jian Hou couldn’t move an inch.
Everything happened so suddenly that Jiang Yan was completely caught off guard.
Seeing this, the officers inside rushed out to maintain order. But there were too many reporters, onlookers, and victims’ family members. The police were overwhelmed and quickly swallowed up by the chaos.
Thud.
Something flew out from the crowd and struck Jiang Yan squarely on the forehead.
“Yan Yan!”
Jian Hou immediately pulled him behind for protection.
The crowd erupted.
“Hit him! He’s the murderer’s wife!”
“Hit him! Hit him!”
"...."
Countless hateful shouts and random objects came flying toward Jiang Yan. Amid the pain and dizziness, a familiar voice echoed beside his ear.
Ding!
【Welcome players to Dungeon — “The Stained Murderer’s Lover.”】
【Dungeon Level: S | Progress: None】
【Players: Several | Real NPCs: Several】
【System NPCs: Several】
【Location: S City, Country C】
【Mission: Capture the real culprit behind the serial murder case】
【Main System Notice: Due to maintenance downtime, this dungeon has been randomly activated in the real world. Everyone is both a player and a real NPC. Wish you all an enjoyable game!】